Coming off a league title, high-flying Mikayla Elfrank and CHS volleyball want more success. (John Fisken photos)
Joey Lippo will team with William Nelson to form Coupeville’s #1 tennis doubles duo.
Claire Mietus returns for her senior season of cheer, ready to be a leader.
Dawson Houston and Wolf football want to break a postseason drought.
Anticipation.
It lingers over the land, as the start of a new high school year, and a new fall sports season, approaches.
Football enters day four of practice today, while everyone else — volleyball, cross country, tennis, cheer and soccer — is on deck, ready to officially begin Monday.
Two of Coupeville’s fall teams, volleyball and boys tennis, are defending Olympic League champs, but everyone has their heart set on making the start of the 2017-2018 school year a success.
Thoughts from the front lines, presented in alphabetic order:
Hunter Downes (senior/football):
I’m just here so I don’t get fined.
Mikayla Elfrank (senior/volleyball):
Volleyball will make it to state.
Dawson Houston (sophomore/football):
We are getting in work and hoping for an 11th game. It’s also a struggle for some that haven’t been putting in the work over break. But we will get better and stronger.
Kyra Ilyankoff (2011 grad who remains on CHS track and volleyball record boards):
That I would pass as a high schooler and come back to kill it in volleyball!
Joey Lippo (senior/tennis):
Tennis is going to win league this year.
Janie McClarin (former tennis mom):
For the first time in about eight years we won’t have a kiddo involved in Coupeville sports. Definitely bittersweet. Looking forward to your fall tennis coverage.
Claire Mietus (senior/cheer):
The cheer team is going to stop being influenced by the stereotype that “We’re Coupeville.” We want to have pride in our squad as well as ourselves and not have our actions defined by others’ expectations.
Ben Smith (freshman/football):
We want to attempt to at least have an 11th game, though some haven’t been able to attend to put in work. But we do hope that this year is better then ever.
Ken Stange (boys tennis coach):
We’re going to break in our newly repaired and resurfaced courts.
The tennis team will compete for and hopefully win our third straight league title.
The #1 doubles duo of Joey Lippo and William Nelson will play difficult, non-league opponents, sharpening their skills, hopefully leading them to the state tourney.
Last year’s singles players, Nick Etzell, Jakobi Baumann and Mason Grove, will come on strong, relying on last season’s experience to propel the team to many wins.
One, two, or all three will advance to districts, where they will make waves.
Jacob Zettle (senior/current free agent):
With the start of a new season brings one of two things, hope or discouragement.
Most likely it will bring hope, the hope of a good season. Then, after that, it’s up to the team on how hard they are going to work.
But if your season is started with that discouragement, all I have to say is good luck because you’re going to need it!
And if you wanted any advice in your story from a former player I have two things, don’t get knocked out, and give your season to the Lord because you can’t do it in your own strength.
He will provide the strength you need.
